At Long Long Last

Looking Pretty Dockside in Gibraltar 2012

At long last, "Windjammer: Previous Passages" has settled into Blogger as its new home.  This blog chronicles our sailing trip through the Caribbean to East Coast USA via the Bahamas from 2008 to 2010. 

Nearly all transfer chores have been done and the Typepad account no longer exists.  Sadly any comments left on either Vox or Typepad have long since disappeared so we  were unable to have them transfered too.  If you can remember what messages you left, please resend them.  Although we can't always reply, we do look forward to various pithy comments sent to cheer us on our way!

Cap'n & Crew, Antigua  2008

We've also added a Ready Reference to direct you to posts that cover our various destinations.  We've updated all photos, added a few extras, including some maps to make it a bit more interesting.

Windjammer's adventures continue (in the Med!!!) on our current blog.  Link on the right as always.  So too is our Map & Tracker, an ingenious "where's windjammer now" which allows you a birds eye view of all our stops along the way.  (As long as I've got the chart readings right that is!).  Our photo albums live on WJ3's newer blog too, so if it's photo overload you're seeking on a dull TV day, then this is just the ticket. 

GS.  Always feeding somebody.  Bahamas 2009

We continue to be inspired by people we meet along the way and it always surprises us to see so many Aussies; some doing very game and adventurous things, others like us just enjoying the day cruise with a few overnight hops here & there! 

Finally, thank you all for your encouraging comments. We hope you will continue to join us on the high (and low) seas as we potter about in a boat.  There's still a few more years (sailing seasons) left in us yet and who knows where we will be by then. 

Maine 2010

So enjoy reminiscing with us

Gibraltar 2012

Starting Over & Over

Digital Revolution 2012

A new day and a new start for an old blog.   WJ3: 2008-2010 will be "under construction" for a little while as we massage all the old posts from Typepad into this bloggersphere. 

You'll notice that I have ended up with 2 of each post, some published and some not!  That was after weeks of trying to import the old files and getting nothing.  If you want to have a bash at importing, then try this advice from Classical Bookworm.  Even us non-geeks are left with some hope! 

This (rather valiant effort) should make life a little easier for all of us, particularly the Galley Slave (aka Web Controller).   Meanwhile, enjoy our photo of the Azores on a rainy day!

Angra do Heroismo: A World Heritage Site since 1983 (Azores)
& yes, that's WJ3 in the Marina, fenders dangling as a precaution!

Spring Cleaning (in Autumn)

Pitons, St Lucia in the Caribbean

Hope you all like the new look design for WJ3's old (2008 to 2010) posts.  We had to change so that you could have access to these all important archives, which will save a lot of time when navigating around the blog. (Hopefully all fixed for the better. Ed) 

This blog covers our Caribbean & USA voyages as follows:

2008:  Caribbean - British Virgins, Leeward then Windward Islands down to Trinidad

2009:  Caribbean to USA- Trinidad, Windwards, Leewards,  Turks Caicos, Bahamas then up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Chesapeake Bay

2010:  East Coast USA - Chesapeake Bay, Lower Bay (New York) to Long Island Sound, Buzzards Bay & Cape Cod, Maine & New England coasts,  Landlubbers in New York & Washington, then back to Chesapeake Bay.

Also try our Tracker (an interactive map) to zoom in & out with amazing clarity on all of our anchorages etc.  Of course if you're really "interested" our grid references/place names are also included.   Don't forget WJ3's latest site for adventures getting to and about in Europe - starting from 2011.

Sharin' with Barefoot & Fatty Knees

A most kissable nose

Deltaville, on the Hard: 22 October 2010

Well, the Motleys are in the Deltaville Boat Yard.  Windjammer is all hauled out and propped up near some big, sheltering pine trees.  Our Cap'n is busy winterising and GS is cleaning & oiling timber - none of it fun!  We are scheduled to fly out in a few days, so this is most definitely the last post of the season.

A real windjammer on (a grey day) Chesapeake

We'll add some photos to the posts when we get home and have a chance to play with this new blog site.  Our tracking site however is still operating here so you can see how many pins we've put into America's East Coast and zoom up close into our anchorages - or perhaps even wave to us in the boat yard. 

Deltaville Boatyard.  WJ3 & our flash bikes

Fair winds & following seas

Sleepy Fivemile River

Despite our rule of never sailing to a strict schedule, we had wanted to have time to visit friends in Rowayton then do the East River (timing currents is critical) on a Friday so any NY friends could make use of a weekend to visit us on board.

This is Duck Island Roads - scant protection even for ducks!

Our first problem went like this….”You can’t pick up a mooring at West 79^th Street Boat Basin – we're 5 feet over the limit.  No, can’t anchor out, Coast Guard have just this week changed the channel markers.  Ok, if we do find an anchorage, which I doubt, it will cost  $25 per day to leave Bruce at the dock.    Otherwise, a slip hereabouts will cost at least $2.70 per foot per day (that's the cheapest) and the facilities are somewhat limited”.  Hmmm, forget it!  Let’s move out to Great Kills and catch a bus over to Manhattan. 

Our second problem was refuelling.  Refuelling went ok, no worries but we didn’t get away in time to make our planned destination, the Thimbles.  “Oooh”, said the fuel man, “my friend went onto an unchartered rock there.  Not a good place to be anchoring in the late evening”.  Terrific, not a lot of options - lets hook into Duck Island then.  Duck Island Roads was fine until we got there.  SE winds had by then worked themselves up into a consistent 25kts which blew in over the rock causeway ALL NIGHT.  Scant protection. 

The next was pre-arranging a dinner date.  That little breeze continued well into the morning and we bashed on into strong headwinds over an incoming current.  Short, steep waves and washing machine (on the spin cycle) conditions for hours and hours….  And, we weren’t making any headway either.  Blast, even later for our re-arranged, planned dinner with Scott & Kitty in Rowayton!

WJ3 up Five Mile River

Then it was the phone!  Tamure, is moored in a narrow slither of Fivemile River.  Scott had arranged a mooring for us close by – a tricky little bow & stern mooring ball affair.  We needed to contact him by phone on arrival.  You guessed it – no phone coverage……  “Butt clenching”, said our Cap’n.  Turning WJ3 around mid-river was also on par with the aforementioned experience.  

Lastly (and that makes bad luck in fives not threes), we discovered the East River was closed to all traffic on Friday.  UN General Assembly.  Of course!  A heavy Coast Guard presence with lots of “hardware”, an un-navigable bridge (less than WJ3’s mast needed for clearance), not to mention that devil of a current through Hell Gate didn’t bode for an incident-free trip.  “Scott, can we stay another day on your mooring please”?

I really don’t think we should have got out of bed that morning, do you????

From: Mystic, CT  Lat/Long: 41 19N  71 58W  Date/Time: 21/9/10: 1130

To: Rowayton, CT  Lat/Long: 41 03N  73 26W  Date/Time: 22/9/10: 1615
Time Taken: 82nm (15hrs)  Distance (this year): 1273nm (231.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 4913nm (930.5hrs)   Fastest Speed: 6.5kts**
Weather: Winds W turning NE 10-15kts; Seas 1-2ft; low vis in the morning – kinda foggy!
(**Motoring again…)

Maine Event

We had chosen Mt Desert to leap into our Maine cruising schedule.  The area is considered “quintessential” Maine.  Acadia National Park covers much of the island and elsewhere, stately homes owned by the likes of Martha Stewart, sit in stands of pines along rocky granite bays - inspiration to wordsmiths, artists and even left-brainers.

Acadia National Park, Mt Desert Island

Mt Desert’s wild beauty has always attracted the wealthy; the Astors, Fords, Carnegies, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts were among those who retreated to their summer “cottages” to partake of Maine’s cool air, pristine hiking trails and chilly waters.  Mt Desert’s first recorded sighting by Europeans was as early as 1524 and Samuel de Champlain formally named the island in 1604; it was part of “New France”.  The island’s interests were then held by the French for many years until after the Revolutionary War.  Preservation came much later but under the leadership of George B Dorr who, inspired by Mt Desert’s rugged beauty, encouraged land and financial donations to preserve it.  In 1916, 6000 acres became a designated national park.  Artists, naturalists, campers and rusticators (summer people) made the island a fashionable retreat until a devastating fire in 1947 consumed many homes and much of the woodlands.  The park, long since recovered, has some 35,000 acres to explore, including smaller islands off the coast.  Cars can traverse some of the roads and byways, but it’s much better to take a horse & carriage or ride the LL Bean eco-buses (gas powered).

Bar Harbor

The Motleys had already covered one of Mt Desert’s famed harbours, Southwest, and now sailed Somes Sound in search of shelter.  After Earl’s terrible tantrum, we spent a few pleasant days – true gunkholing – watching bald eagles fly, kayakers paddle about nooks & crannies, gorgeous sunsets and people swim (including our Cap’n but he is a Victorian) in the oh, so clean waters.  Then it was on to Northeast Harbor to pick up a mooring ball.  This harbour too was pretty; we were tempted to stay a few days.  The village and its conveniences were only a step away, including a fabulous library (with free wifi & a fireplace) and an island explorer bus stop.

We stepped aboard to take the scenic loop road – 27 miles past Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Jordan & Bubble Ponds and Cadillac Mountain.  We didn’t hike on account of GS’s still recovering ankle but the drive was nice.  Bar Harbor retains its quaint village atmosphere despite the influx of tourists (millions), including glamorous passenger ships nearly every other day in season.  You could tell the difference between cruisers and cruisers.  We had that windswept, clothes more than 3 days old, unshaved look…  GS poked around in touristy shops and even found a quilt shop to buy a few Maine themed prints – moose, bears, eagles, pinecones etc.  There’s a zoo close by with the real thing (moose, bears etc) in Trenton across from Mt Desert, but we had come to our “turnaround” time.

Northeast Harbor

One of the joys of sailing is catching up, often unexpectedly, with friends you meet along the way.  “Cricket” (home to Pam, Ben & lovely Lila) had also spent some time in Deltaville Boatyard.  They set sail a little earlier in the season, so it was fun to catch up and compare ports of call and sights seen.  They were on their way to Rockport to have some electrical work done before heading back down to the Chesapeake – maybe.  See you on the water!

From: Somes Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 21N  68 19W  Date/Time: 6/9/10: 1130
To: Northeast Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 17N  68 16W  Date/Time: 6/9/10: 1330
Time Taken: 7nm (2hrs)  Distance (this year): 825nm (157.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 4465nm (856.5hrs)   Fastest Speed: See Note**
Weather: Winds SW 10-15kts G20kts; Seas 1-3ft; a bit of a slop on the Sound
(** Motored back down Somes Sound (into the sun) dodging lobster pots!)

Waiting for Earl

There was no wind; the calm was eerie.  All craft were nosing south expectantly.  To our front, the largest sailboat in the anchorage had both masts up-lit and looked like some medieval warhorse.  A dense New England fog settled into the small harbour just on dusk and a few boat owners fidgeted with last-minute mooring or anchor line adjustments.  It seemed like, and was indeed, the calm before battle.  An advance party of strong winds, gusting 45 to 60kts was expected at midnight. We were waiting for Earl... 

Somes Harbor

We had been following, as best we could, reports on Earl as he whirled his way up the east coast.  The Cap’n had pinpointed the destructive eye on our charts and had spent almost two days preparing for the worst.  Earl was forecast to hit Cape Cod and then move down east (NE) to the Maine coast.  That’s exactly where we were.  Isn’t it odd that we’ve been dodging hurricanes for 2 seasons in the Caribbean now and finally, when we pop out of that acknowledged hurricane box*, one comes to find us.  Aagggghh!

We had arrived in Southwest Harbour, Mt Desert Island in Maine and the news of Earl’s progress stunned us.  Our friendly Harbourmaster advised us to seek better shelter, in Northeast Harbor if we could.  But all moorings were taken. (It was Labor Day weekend after all.)  Kindly, Dickie Beal (of Beal’s Lobsters) recommended, when we re-fuelled and re-watered at his lobster dock, staging ourselves up Somes Sound in better protected (& muddy bottomed) Somes Harbor.  Off we went, then and there.  Lucky because we were in and set (on two tandem anchors and 200 feet of chain) before stragglers and late-comers tried to snuggle into this tiny protected harbor. 

Same view (as above) with fog as Earl approached

The Cap’n went off to get a few supplies and an internet connection.  Bad luck, Somesville is little more than a few pretty cottages.  He then set about taking down sails and clearing the decks, taking the motor off Bruce and other measures to “hurricane-proof” as best we could.  At worst, Earl’s eye was currently reading 90kts, gusting 110kts (say that slowly) and at best, we could look forward to 60kt gusts.  Thank goodness for Skymate.  We were able to download regular (12hr) NOAA weather reports for this specific area and data on Earl’s progress.  To add to the drama, GS had twisted her ankle at the fuel dock and was now incapacitated.  Surely her bad temper was enough to scare Earl away?  The Cap’n wanted to leave home too – except he’d probably either starve or face a diet of 2 minute noodles & canned corned beef.  Facing Earl seemed a far brighter proposition…

Cold Water Swim

Our after-dinner weather update brought us better news – well, sort of.  Earl was slowly running out of puff and our Tropical Storm Warning, though still in effect, had forecast winds 40 – 45kts.  Thankfully too, our hurricane hole proved perfect.  Around midnight, winds tore over us; we could hear roaring as the wind rushed through high pine forests, sounding for all the world like a giant steam train.  Those marvellous mountains of Mt Desert Island directed the flow of winds over and above us.  Rain beat in but we stayed quite dry, only a couple of hatches leaked.  Bruce filled to the gunnels with fresh water – and our house-proud Cap’n is now using it to swab the decks, making WJ3 and Bruce shine.  We’re grateful Earl amounted to little more than a storm in our locale but both agreed preparations were well worth the effort.

* The hurricane box is reputed, for insurance purposes, to be below Grenada (since Ivan 2004) at 12N and above 35N (Cape Hatteras & Cape Lookout, NC).   Deltaville VA where we stored WJ3 is at 37N.  Maine (where we are now) is 44N.  Since 1851, only 15 major hurricanes (about one every ten years) have leapt outside this box to damage areas above the North Carolina/Virginia border.  The last one was Alex in 2004.  It seems that record high temperatures and unseasonably warm waters beckoned storms further north this year.

From: Southwest Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 16N  68 18W  Date/Time: 2/9/10: 1100

To: Somes Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 21N  68 19W  Date/Time: 2/9/10: 1220

Time Taken: 6nm (1.5hrs)  Distance (this year): 818nm (155.5hrs)

Distance Total (since 2008): 4458nm  (854.5hrs)   Fastest Speed: See Note**

Weather: Winds SE 5-10kts; Seas 3ft; seas followed by a quick tropical storm to drench us

(** Motored up Somes Sound on a mission!)

Old Jonah He Lived in a Whale

Lighthouse, Cape Cod

Provincetown has whale watching tours reputed to be second best in the world (rated on chances of seeing whales).  Summer is also the time these great beasties mooch around Stellwagen Bank – their summer holiday residence.  GS wanted to take a tour.  Cap’n Blanched at $32 a head, especially when we already had a boat…. 

We left Provincetown early to make use of forecast W winds to push us as far down east as Penobscot Bay, Maine in an overnight trip.  Stopping each night is easy (and very achievable up and down the New England coast) but we’d get to Maine in time to turn around and scoot back to Deltaville.  The Cap’n said this way we’d also cross Stellwagen Bank, so GS had the binos ready.  As luck would have it, the Whale Watch tours passed us full steam ahead, and our headings were similar. 

Then it all happened.  In the distance, great spouts of water were blown high and huge tails rose and fell in slow motion.  As we neared the pod, one rolled on his side and repeatedly slapped the water with a big white fin.  The noise alone was scary enough.  The Whale Watch boats moved on following the pod (possibly 10 or more whales) as it breakfasted and played.  WJ3 continued on her course to Maine.  We saw a huge splash, maybe 500m away and watched as a whale breeched.  The show moved on, but not in our direction. 

Cape Cod to Bar Harbor dodging whales

We were still chatting about our good fortune an hour later when the Cap’n spied another spout in the distance.  We’d happened upon another pod.  Though not so lively as the last, lazy tails slapped water and spouts blew all round us - at a respectable distance.  Then suddenly one surfaced, no more than 20-30 metres on our port side.  This was indeed a close encounter.  He wasn’t interested in us (thankfully) and continued on with his breakfasting as we gaped, stared and said things like “oh, fruit”. 

Real Maine Lobsters

The rest of the trip wasn’t nearly so exciting even though a huge moon lit the slow roll of Atlantic swells making viewing easy.  But it was freezing!  Early next morning, closer to the Maine coast, we saw a couple of seals.  Their lovely whiskery faces and big eyes staring in surprise – as if we’d just caught them in the act of robbing from a vast field of lobster pots.  Who could blame them?  We celebrated our arrival in Maine.  In August (just).  We’d really made it.  Celebrations involved a secure mooring, local beer AND a huge lobster feast. ($US11 a pound…envious???)

From: Provincetown, MA  Lat/Long: 42 02N  70 11W  Date/Time: 30/8/10: 0845

To: Southwest Harbor, ME  Lat/Long: 44 16N  68 18W  Date/Time: 31/8/10: 1400

Time Taken: 170nm (29.5hrs)  Distance (this year): 812nm (154hrs)

Distance Total (since 2008): 4452nm  (853hrs)   Fastest Speed: See Note**

Weather: Winds W-NW 5-10kts; Seas 3-5ft; We didn’t notice the Friday tropical storm warning at the end of the report – doh!!

(** 10ft tides no less; abundant rock ledges makes anchoring interesting!)

Statistics, damn statistics & even more lies....

We began by heading up Island

Just for interest, we’ve calculated a few of our “so far” 09 miles:

Caribbean: Trinidad to Culebra, Spanish Virgins – 638nm (130hrs)

Bahamas: Culebra to West End – 1075nm (215.5hrs)

Gulf Stream Crossing: West End to West Palm Beach - 55nm (8.5 hrs)

Atlantic ICW: West Palm Beach to Norfolk - 927nm (153hrs)

Chesapeake Bay: Norfolk to Deltaville - 96nm (14hrs)

Grand Total this year 09:   2791nm – that’s some sailin’, folks!…

Then took an ICW tour through Florida to Chesapeake Bay
in Virginia.  Whoo hoo!  Map source

Of course, with our few misadventures and different stops than those planned (who could bypass Montserrat?), our schedule has taken longer than anticipated.  We will only see a little of lower Chesapeake Bay this year before laying up WJ3 in Deltaville.  

Still, that leaves plenty more for next year’s adventures! 

Proud Carolinas (Fort Sumter)

Just a reminder about our (almost) real-time tracker.  That's the last link over on your right, folks.   You do need Google Earth to be able to see it but we've been plotting our GPS positions on a world map as way points (on a sailing course) or as stops along the way (eg anchorages, moorings, marinas etc.).  Yes, I know that sounds really boring but you can actually zoom right down and get up almost as close as we were to these places. Smell the salt in the air, even!

Land Ho! The Industrial entry to Norfolk

Some of our postions are a wee bit out - a discrepancy between GE & the GPS I'm afraid - and we've not had the chance to correct them all.  At one stage, one of our flags was not far from Mumbai (Bombay)...  That was not a computer error!  Our poor mother thinks her kids are not only runaway sailors but Krishna ashram devotees too... 

A Not So Civil War

Jacksonville to Charleston: 13-14 Aug 09

Delightful Company

In order to save a time and many a grounding in Georgia ICW shallows, the Motleys opted to do a little sea time.  Out of the St Johns River, WJ3 clicked her heels and frolicked along the way with lots of friendly dolphins.  In this area, the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream is incredibly shallow.  At 12 miles out, we floated along in 35 to 45 feet of water.  If WJ3 sank (heaven forbid!) then her mast would be at least another 20 feet above sea level…

Our evening at sea brought with it an assemblage of thunderstorms, which seemed to stretch along the coast as far as the eye could see.  Smugly, we assumed we’d outrun them, until we turned seaward and watched as storms began to brew out over those Atlantic shallows.  Our night sail gradually began to turn into a sailor’s game of dodging lightning, rain and thunderous billowing clouds.  The Cap’n tried to ward off evil spirits with jump-lead cables that streamed off the shrouds and into the water (an old sailor’s remedy).  Luckily we managed to steer our way around most of it but did not escape a cold front moving in with accompanying wild winds.  Not the best experience at sea, even thought we were well reefed. As an aside...we did put out a fishing rod/lure whilst out in the briney.  You guessed - another barracuda!  The Cap'n was beginning to feel sorry for the trail of dead un's we'd left behind.  GS was less forgiving.

Storm off St Augusta

As WJ3 lacked autopilot and a GPS linked to our computerised chart programs, the Cap’n had to take two hourly readings with his hand-held GPS.  We fell into this routine fairly easily, although didn’t usually manage to get more than an hour of sleep after all necessary chores, including meals were completed.  The Cap’n achieved some straight lines between waypoints as we romped northward but GS ensured his skills were tested, especially when he slept.  “Oh look, dolphins!  Aren’t they so cute?  Ooops, heading east again!  Look how close that big ship is!  Ooops, turned a 360 again!  Won’t I be in trouble!  Ha! Ha!  That was fun, let’s try another 360...  Oh, look a turtle! Oops, straying west again!”  And so on it went! 

Luckily we managed to continue north and make it firstly into Charleston Harbour, South Carolina and then, back into the ditch (as the ICW is fondly known to locals).  We anchored opposite City Marina in Ashley River and wondered at the amount of local boat traffic that passed us by at speed (and so bounced us about in their wakes!).  The worst wakes we’ve christened “coffee-pot breakers” in honour of our St Martin plunger, broken in St Augustine, and still not been able to replace.  We had high shopping hopes for Charleston!

From: Jacksonville, FL  Lat/Long: 30 19N  81 39W  Date/Time: 13/8/09: 0900

To: Charleston, SC  Lat/Long: 32 47N  79 57W Date/Time: 14/8/09: 1600
Time Taken: 160nm (19hrs)  Distance (this year): 2226nm (427hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 3075nm  (605hrs)   Fastest Speed: 5.5kts**
Weather: S-SW  10-15kts;  Seas 3-5ft;  showers & possible afternoon thunderstorms.  Who were they kidding??
(** Motoring and sailing; bumpy ride up the coast dodging storm banks)

Makin' it Up

West End - Here We Come: 10-11 Jul 09

Farewell to the Bahamas

There’s little to tell of this voyage that was noticeably lacking in cruising craft companionship.  We left the Great Bahama Bank via the ancient sea-faring passage of Douglas Cut and toddled into the NW Passage.  At night, this deep sea passage however, became a highway of cruise liners all lit up like Christmas trees, moving their bevy of lovelies from one exotic Bahamas destination to the next.  It was sailing rather too close to one of these white wonders that we suddenly had our ears boxed by a rather stiff squall.  WJ3 lurched under the strength of now too much sail, our trusty Cap’n swore, and GS woke from her beauty sleep, only happy this didn’t happen on her shift!  A moment of madness and it was all over.  But the Cap’n did keep a weather eye out to ensure we didn’t get caught again.

Honey, I think we snagged a shark.  West End

West End, despite being a strategic destination for those travelling to the Abaco Cays, is small with too many resorts-in-progress, suffering no doubt due to the current economic downturn.  The only thing going on in town was a funeral.  We anchored in a shallow cut near a small marina, noticing the ubiquitous barracuda and a large nurse shark (perhaps 8ft) drifting over the swiftly flowing tidal waters on the cut.  We decided to anchor, waiting out a passing storm and Sunday.  This would ensure a working day arrival in the USA.  It also signed off the end of our Bahamas Passage….

One long straight wake across the Gulf Stream

We have to confess to shortening our planned cruise through the Bahamas a little.  The Berry Islands are considered remote and whilst we enjoyed those secluded and very often pristine anchorages we had seen so far, we felt a shameless need for fresh produce and companionship (other than each other!).  So in our own best interests, we decided to forgo swimming, snorkeling and sailing for a bit of motoring up the ICW and hedonistic lifestyle offered by Walmart et al.  Oh, God Bless America!

From: Allens Cay, Exumas  Lat/Long: 24 44N  76 50W Date/Time: 10/7/09: 0630

To: West End, Bahamas  Lat/Long: 26 42N  78 59W  Date/Time: 11/7/09: 1510

Time Taken: 173nm (33.5hrs)  Distance (this year): 1713nm (345.5hrs)

Distance Total (since 2008): 2562nm  (523.5hrs)   Fastest Speed: 7kts**

Weather: Winds SE 10-12kts; Seas 1-2ft; Swell generally SE (getting repetitious?)

(**Another 2 day sail (we’re getting good at this!); 7kts at best)

Islands of Perpetual June

Bahamas: Islands of Perpetual June

Monument Beach Anchorage Bahamas

Looking beyond the obvious American influence, the Bahamas, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (once British) and generally peopled by descendants of African slaves brought in to work cotton/sugar plantations.  It isn’t exactly obvious how these original settlers even began to think they could make viable fertile farming land out of desolate sand cays, even with lots of “free” labour.  Nothing much seems to survive other than sparse native vegetation, including a few very ancient-looking palms. 

Conch shell- a rather sad and neglected one at that...

Columbus arrived in the Bahamas in 1492 and he too, lost no time in shipping out any original inhabitants as slave fodder.  Later any remaining locals were subject to the charming ways of pirates and cut-throats as the neighbourhood became the sailing ground for many a fearsome adventurer.  Nassau in 1666 was a lawless city of brothels, taverns and enterprises of dubious character.  Runaway slaves, vagabonds, beggars and pirates roamed the streets.  Blackbeard (Edward Teach) a former resident is said to have kept his adversaries off guard with a technique of decorating his matted beard and hair with flaming fuses.  During the American Revolution this same city, now a mecca for the pristine Caribbean “white ship” cruise industry was the once the centre of illegal rum running.  My, how things change!

There's always chores to do

Unfortunately, drug trafficking problems remain, as do corruption charges but these issues don’t seem to affect the hundreds of cruisers, both sail and power that ply these waterways each year.  Even if our cruising permit did cost us $300!!  Today, all across the Bahamas, areas of intense tourism contrasts with perfectly natural idylls.  All on coral cays of pure white sand and glistening turquoise waters.  Is it any wonder Juan Ponce de Leon visited the area in 1513 in his quest to find The Fountain of Youth?

*Islands of Perpetual June. So said, George Washington.